Gamma Space will be closing* on December 31, 2017.

* Hopefully temporarily!

We joined the Toronto Media Arts Cluster three years ago to secure permanent, affordable space for our community, which grew from 20 members in 2012 to over 200 in 2017. We knew that when our lease was up, we would not be able to afford commercial rent in Toronto.

It’s worse than we imagined. The average rent for space like ours, in our neighbourhood, is $44 per square foot – and that’s expected to climb to $89 per square foot over the next three years. (At that rate, our current small space would run us well north of $26,000 per month.)

We want our community’s resources to flow to new initiatives, artists and projects rather than to commercial property owners, so we won’t be renewing our lease or looking for a new space.

The state of TMAC

We are tantalizingly close to a final agreement to take occupancy of the TMAC space 36 Lisgar, but we have run out of time to keep our space at 862 Richmond open. Unless the settlement is finalized in the next few weeks, this closure will be permanent.

The City has the power to allow us to temporarily occupy the space while the final details of the settlement are worked out, but they refuse to allow it.

The closure means Dames Making Games, with whom we’ve shared space for 6 years, will also be without a home in January 2018. Our fellow TMAC organizations also face uncertainty.

CFMDC moved out of its space at 401 Richmond this week, its staff squeezing in with another organization temporarily and its film collection without a home.

Charles Street Video occupies a tiny Toronto Arts Council unit without a lease and will need to move in the spring.

And our collective communities – thousands of member artists, organizers, video game designers, creative coders, musicians, Queen West folks, business owners, funders, engaged Torontonians – will be left without the space required to contribute to the economic and cultural fabric of this city.

TMAC is a critical cultural space that cannot be lost. We will keep fighting for it, for you.

Thank you! 💖

We want to thank everyone who championed this experiment, especially our Cohort and Supporting members who have helped make it affordable for everyone. To everyone who has made Gamma Space their home these past 6 years, thank you for giving us the opportunity to work and play with you in this space. Crossing our fingers that we can continue this adventure in 2018. 🤞